Victoria Williams

 Victoria Williams might be the only musician ever to have a career launched by a battle with multiple sclerosis. The fund-raising 1993 tribute album Sweet Relief featured Pearl Jam, Lou Reed and Soul Asylum and outsold its recipient's entire catalog. Two years ago the vocalist earned critical raves for Sings Some Ol' Songs, a collection of traditional tunes rendered in her childlike caterwaul. When she's not going the solo route, Williams moonlights with the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers, an old-school folk-bluegrass-country outfit she formed with husband and former Jayhawk Mark Olson. In concert, Williams retains much of the Dippers' charm, brandishing her lilting voice with breezy, porch-swinging flair.